9/23/2018 Bailey AMPS: 296 +6 236 +9 183 PMPS: 118 +1 162 +2 292

Hi everyone!

Condo: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...and-confused-at-12-nadir.203383/#post-2255737

We posted our first question last week because Bailey was hitting her nadir at PMPS, and everyone suggested switching her from 1 unit per day to .25 units twice a day. It seems like she was having more of a normal curve, but today she again had her nadir at PMPS.

We had to shoot an hour early Friday to get our dog spayed at the vet's office, per their recommendation. According to the SLGS sticky, shooting early or late can work like a dose reduction or increase. Also, according to SLGS, we should not shoot under 150, but we also don't want to impede her progress.

(I was looking at the times on the meter, and it looks like her +1 is really more like +30 minutes, and her +2 is really more like + 1.5 hours. Sorry for that mistake. Not sure how to fix it on the spreadsheet.

If anyone can provide advice, I would really appreciate it. I am trying to learn as much as I can, but it's a lot to take in.

Thank you all so much!

Rosie

 

Hi and welcome.

Yes, it's a lot to take in. You're testing at home and learning about FD - you're off to a great start!

I have a few questions for you, as I look at your SS. Is there no one available to test in the first six hours in the morning, or is there another reason there are no tests between AMPS and +6? The reason I ask is that it's hard to know exactly what the insulin is doing when there are blank holes in the SS. It's a good idea to vary your test times, if that's possible with your schedule. Maybe, if work makes it impossible, you can test in those times on your day off. Think of the spreadsheet like a jigsaw puzzle. The more pieces you can fill in, the easier it is to see what the picture is. It is unusual to have the nadir at shot time on Lantus, so the more data you can get, the better we'll be able to figure this out.

When you say you are giving a snack at shot times, does that mean you are giving treats at shot time? Normally, you would give an actual meal at shot time. It is important to have food on board when the insulin onsets. We generally advise that you feed several small meals, starting with shot time and then at increments thereafter, with the majority of the food given before typical nadir (ie: +6). Some feed small meals at shot time, + 1, +3 and +5 or +2, + 4 and +6, etc. If works makes this impossible, a timed feeder can help.

You can indicate fractions of an hour on your spreadsheet like this: If you tested at 1.5, put the reading then @1.5 in the cell. You will have to color it in manually. If you look at the top of your spreadsheet, you'll see what looks like a paint can. Highlight the cell, then click on the paint can and choose the appropriate color. You can look at either of my spreadsheets to see how it looks. You may need to use the wrap text icon to make it fit. It looks almost like an H. I don't know how computer savvy you are, so if this is confusing, say so.

Keep reading, and keep asking questions. We were all new at this once, and we know how overwhelming it all is. We're here to help!

 

Thanks! I will do that.

 

Oops, I didn't see the whole message, just the part after the quote.

So, to answer your question, we didn't think to test earlier unless we were doing a curve because we have been focused on the nadir. My vet only asked for morning and +6. Then I read about the curve, and decided to give that a try, which is when we discovered that her blood sugar just kept going down even after +6 up until PMPS. When I posted the question here, I was told it was probably because her dose is too high, plus the fact that we were only dosing in the morning, so we switched to .25 twice a day.

Bailey has been giving us a hard time to test so we are trying to test only when necessary. She is supposed to be due for a curve tomorrow, but now I don't know what to do since her schedule has been messed up.

 

Double oops. I don't know why I keep forgetting to answer your questions. Thank you for helping. We are pretty lost right now.

Your question regarding snacks. She no longer get snacks Now she gets feed every 6 hours.

The snacks had been bits of her wet food so if we tested at +3, we opened up her food early and gave her a little bit just so she felt like she was getting something out of the ordeal. Switching her feeding to every 6 hours has taken care of that because she is not ravenously seeking food at +6 or +8 like she was before.

I see what you are saying about the small increments. Maybe we try it in the future, depending on what's going on with her BG. For now, she seems content with every 6 hours.

 

Testing takes practice and patience, for both of you. Don't worry. It will get easier. Here is a post with some great tips that might help: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/ My favorite two tips are 1) Warm the ear first. A small sock filled with uncooked rice can be warmed in the microwave up to 30 seconds (test it like a baby bottle before using). Hold the sock against the back of the ear for several seconds to warm it. We always left the sock there as we poked, to stabilize the ear. 2) Give a treat every time you test, whether you were successful or not. You want kitty to associate testing with something good. If kitty doesn't like your messing with her ears, start by just massaging the ear and giving her a treat when she lets you. Get her used to it, then move on to the next step. Rome wasn't built in a day, and accepting ear pokes doesn't happen overnight. Some diabetic friendly treats would be something all meat, like freeze dried chicken or salmon. You can get them at your local pet store. Also, try not to get stressed out when testing - kitty can feel your anxiety. Easier said than done, I know!

 

Thanks so much for that link! There is so much good info at that link, and the videos were exceptionally helpful.

I will look into the freeze dried chicken. I assume we give just a little bit so it doesn't affect her BG.

I think I will be less stressed once I get better at testing. One tip I got from your link is the vaseline on the ear. I will give that a try because a major cause of stress is her blood getting lost in her fur.

 

Actually, neosporin with pain relief works as well as vaseline, and the pain relief helps with the sting of the poke. It was easy to see the blood on my Cinco, as his ears were light colored. Harvey, my other diabetic, was a ruddy Abyssinian, and his ears were darker, which made it tricky. Some people try poking the underside of the ear.

It has no carbs, since it's all meat. One or two pieces per poke should work.

Yes, you will get less stressed as you get more experience. Eventually you'll wonder what was so hard about that! Honest!

 

Thanks for that. I'm really looking forward to when I can wonder why I stressed so much about it.